Surveys of fine-scale distributions of naturalized populations of ryegrasses, and analysis of ecological impacts of endophyte infection

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Non-native pasture plants are concerned about their impacts in both the riversides and farmlands, because they have often naturalized to invade there. We selected ryegrasses as model plants, and developed the method of examining fine-scale distributions of naturalized populations. By using this method, we recorded the distributions of Italian ryegrass in relation to endophyte infection in the riversides. Endophyte-infected individuals were unlikely to be consumed by seed-eating insects, suggesting that endophyte may confer the resistance to those, thereby enhancing the invasiveness of the grass. We also found glyphosate-resistant Italian ryegrass around the rice paddy fields. This is the first report of a glyphosate-resistant weed in Japan.